1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to sleeping bags and the like, and more particularly, to a novel and improved sleeping bag adapted especially for use in combination as a removable sanitary sleeping bag liner or alone for, although not necessarily limited to, indoor use.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Sleeping bags found in the prior art have been widely used in a number of different ways and in numerous applications.
One of the many applications includes the use of a such a bag as a simple, low cost, sanitary and protective liner for more elaborate and expensive sleeping bags, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,379,416 (Clark).
Another use for such sleeping bags is found in U.S. Pat. No. 2,972,757 (Adrian) where it is removably secured to a comforter as a sanitary and protective cover or liner.
Sleeping bags such as exemplified by these prior art patents are primarily constructed for out-of-doors camping. Accordingly, such sleeping bags are constructed with special bulky materials to retain body warmth and of relatively rough-to-the-touch fabrics to withstand heavy abuse and are expensive. Because of this expensive form of construction and the unitary size thereof, when cleaning is required, the sleeping bag must be dry cleaned. Such dry-cleaning cannot be accomplished in the simple environment of the home because of the hazardous chemicals used in the dry-cleaning process. Further, dry-cleaning is expensive and time-consuming and, as such, is inconvenient. Further, use of the rough, long-wearing fabrics is not comparable to the relative softness of percale-type fabrics which are typically employed in the making of the finer quality bed sheets.
To significantly reduce this inconvenience and expense, a simple, bag-type protective liner constructed of a bed-sheet is sometimes placed inside the more rugged sleeping bag. Such protective liners not only act to protect the inside of the sleeping bag and may be constructed relatively inexpensively of the more comfortable bed-sheet fabrics but may be periodically removed and conveniently washed in a washing machine.
A further use is taught by U.S. Pat. No. 2,239,017 (Roberts) wherein such a sleeping bag may be used as a sanitary covering for a bed having particular utility for use with babies or young children to keep them fully covered.
As clearly identified by these sleeping bags, sanitation and convenience are important and desirable characteristics of such items.
One of the problems encountered with prior art sleeping bags is that the sanitary liner fails to include a means for also protecting the pillow in a like sanitary fashion as the bed or sleeping bag.
Another difficulty frequently exhibited by sleeping bags of the prior art variety is that the bottom of the bay where the feet are to be placed is uncomfortably confining to the user's feet.
Another limitation experienced in the use of previous bags is that such bags fail to incorporate a means whereby the lenght of the sleeping bag is extensible to permit use by a slight taller person.
Modernly, use of sleeping bags has found wide spread use in conjunction with various recreational vehicles, such as motor homes, trailers and the like. Prior art bags open only along one side of the bag to permit ingress and egress therefrom. When a sleeping bag is used on a bed or bunk in such a recreational vehicle, the bag may open along the wrong side of the bed such as the side of the bed facing the wall of the recreational vehicle. Or the bag, perhaps, has failed to incorporate means for removably securing or lashing the sleeping bag to the mattress of the bed upon which it rests.
The inventor herein, after a considerable amount of time, research and experimentation, has devised a sleeping bag of the type characterized and described herein to overcome the significant disadvantages such as found in the use of these prior art sleeping bags.